Clematis 'Sweet Summer Love'

Clematis 'Sweet Summer Love' was bred by Polish breeder Szczepan Marczyński: the cross was made in 2003 in Pruszków, and the most promising seedling was selected in 2004. Its 3 to 4 cm star-shaped flowers open in rich wine-red and fade through purple-red to a pale purplish violet, set off by creamy to pale purple stamens. An intense scent of almond, cherry and vanilla fills the air, especially on warm evenings.

At around 300 cm, 'Sweet Summer Love' is well suited to trellises, fences and pergolas; it is not really intended for containers. From July to September it flowers exceptionally freely – a mature plant can produce several hundred to over a thousand flowers in a single season. It thrives in sunny to semi-shaded spots, with the root area kept cool and shaded.

'Sweet Summer Love' is reliably winter-hardy (zone 7, down to about -17.7 °C). Cut the plant back hard to about 10 cm in March so it puts on vigorous new growth and flowers abundantly the same year. The variety is considered robust and has won several awards, including a silver medal in Moscow and the Green Thumb Award.